Marvel Surprise: Robert Redford In Talks To Star In ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’

EXCLUSIVE: Here is a fun Marvel scoop. I’m hearing that Robert Redford is in discussions to join the cast of Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the sequel that brings Chris Evans back as the shield-carrying superhero. Redford is in talks to play a senior leadership role in S.H.I.E.L.D., the superhero collective run by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury character. Joe and Anthony Russo are directing the film from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, whose Marvel script credits include Captain America: The First Avenger and the upcoming Thor: The Dark World. The sequel will be released by Disney on April 4, 2014.

In between running his Sundance empire, Redford most recently starred in All Is Lost, the J.C. Chandor-scripted and directed survival tale. While Marvel was predictably mum as Kevin Feige’s unit always is on casting matters, Marvel characters have a tendency to show up in other superhero movies, and I believe that is likely to be on the menu for Redford. It will be somewhat ironic for the patriarch of independent cinema to become a regular in some of Hollywood’s biggest studio blockbusters. Redford’s repped by WME.

42 Comments

mike jevons • on Mar 22, 2013 11:34 am

This is so cool. Marvel is just clicking on all fronts. no executive politics. no director worship. just smart people (with a plan) who know that the characters are far more valuable than any director relationship or executive land grabbing.

MJ

Bazinga • on Mar 22, 2013 11:37 am

I’ll be interested to see who from the films shows up in the (assuming it gets picked up) SHIELD TV series.

Cobie Smulders would be an obvious add for Season 2 after she wraps up How I Met Your Mother.

Tom • on Mar 22, 2013 12:11 pm

He’s a natural.

Nero theTVFiddler • on Mar 22, 2013 12:12 pm

Wow – one of my idols. Redford joining up with Marvel – that’s pretty cool. Almost sounds like a movie in itself: Hollywood legend, fiercely independent, who makes a counter-move and joins ‘the system’ to work on a franchise movie power-house. Very cool.

I’m not completely up to date on who’s working on what, but if my memory serve correct, I think both Cobie Smulders *and* Emily VanCamp are set to be in the Capt America/Winter Soldier film? And now Redford as well? Wow. I’ll be in line waiting to buy a ticket.

Final note – I didn’t know Redford has a new film coming out [Company You Keep] – and Julie Christie is in it. That I want to see – wow, Redford and Christie … that’s an legendary pair.

Daisy Johnson • on Mar 22, 2013 12:18 pm

Oh no more Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill please. Worst casting Marvel has done. She’s pretty to look at and funny on HIMY but she isn’t badass enough to play Maria. They shoulda cast Keira Knightley.

Oh dear goodness, sweetheart. Elizabeth Bennett has no place in Marvel… I think Cobie Smulders was a brilliant casting choice. She’s gorgeous but at the same time can hold her own against all the big named men in these movies.

valeri • on Mar 22, 2013 5:25 pm

you clearly havent seen Domino or the pirates of the caribbean trilogy films,or Jacket, and the upcoming Jack Ryan action movie in dec as well…she has vastly ore experience in badass action roles and actually had training for Domino and Pirates,unlike Smulders who only has Avengers so far. So yes,Knightley is more experienced in fighting and action roles.

fluffo • on Mar 22, 2013 9:51 pm

I saw Domino. It was complete bunk. All style, no substance. 98 lb. Keira Knightley a SHIELD ass-kicker. That’s a laugh. They’re pushing the believability envelope with Scarlett and Cobie as it is. Next.

Ted Mosby • on Mar 23, 2013 7:47 am

Cobie can handle this role – how do I know? Two words – Robin Daggers!

Here In Flyover • on Mar 22, 2013 1:27 pm

Good career move– when was his last hit? Majority of moviegoers under the age of 30 has ever seen him act and it’s his chance to be relevant once again (and no, nothing Sundance-related is relevant to the majority of casual movie fans– sorry).

Jeffmc2000 • on Mar 22, 2013 2:19 pm

It’s a good move for both Redford and Marvel. Marvel gets a prestige name, and Redford gets to make a good chunk of retirement money from a couple of weeks work.

Josh • on Mar 22, 2013 3:10 pm

I think RR’s has enough in the way of credibility to be indulgent in his choices…

valeri • on Mar 22, 2013 5:29 pm

only people who have lived in a cave have not seen him act if they are under 30. I am 23 and I have seen him in several films in the last decade,Redford is super known to anyone who has a clue and doesnt spen all day playing counter strike or world of warcraft,or only watching transformers. Redford is a legend that everyone who is important knows too well,and those who dont know him are irrelevant to his career. THe man has hundreds of millions of dollars,has an empire in Sundance,heck,he owns the land for the whole movement and festival there,its his think. He has prestige and money to last a 100 lifetimes and he is probably doing this either for the script or for fun or as a favor,either way marvel needs him more than he needs marvel

orlando • on Mar 22, 2013 2:04 pm

Very interesting, if Marvel can nab a legendary great actor like ‘Robert Redford’ for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, hats off to them. The fact that you can get great actors like ‘Anthony Hopkins’, ‘Redford’, ‘Tommy Lee Jones’,’Jeff Bridges’, ‘Ben Kingsley’, ‘Sam Jackson’, ‘Stanley Tucci’,’William Hurt’, all oscar winners and nominees is a credit to Marvel Studios. When you have an honerable role call like that you have to respect what their bringing to their superhero films.

Reggie Van Luster • on Mar 22, 2013 2:43 pm

Why do you have all the actor names in ‘quotes’? That is a thoroughly eccentric choice. Consider me confused and somewhat delighted.

kplan • on Mar 25, 2013 11:09 am

Having the names in quotes means it wasn’t really them! He must know something…it must’ve been Skrulls! (Oops, revealing my inner Fanboy. [Google Skrulls if you’re not aware.])

Milano • on Mar 22, 2013 2:37 pm

Sad, really. He’s too good for that.

Dontboreme Thatspompous • on Mar 22, 2013 2:49 pm

Perhaps Dustin Hoffman can play Willie the Mailman in the FANTASTIC FOUR reboot, since he can wiggle his ears really good.
Or barring that, the Watcher.

And here I thought he was going to play an aged Capt from an alternate future or something. really would be perfect to be future Capt A.

marvel/disneyshouldbeanillegalmonopoly • on Mar 22, 2013 3:50 pm

Bro, you need to first reaearch what a good movie is, From Here to Eternity, City Of God, The Hurt Locker. For comic book movies, Road to Perdition, Sin City, or The Dark Knight. After that, check out what Fiege did to Ed Norton, and especially try and find his quote that says he “he doesnt give a shit about quality, he just wants to get our butts in a theatre seat once,” then theyve made their nut, the couldnt care in the slightest if we like it. I grew up with marvel, and have watched them get close to a decent movie, Spider Man 2, but most of them are Ghost Rider 2, or Punisher, war zone, just shit. Young man, The Avengers was as bad as Transformers, they are clicking on no fronts, Avi Arad hired his own son right underneath him, if thats not politics, what is? Far more important than a directors relationship? My god, film is the directors medium, tv is for producers, stage for actors, you know NOTHING about film, unless you mean thier heels upon pavement as they walk away from another one of my beloved characters after they gang raped him/her.

Alan B • on Mar 22, 2013 5:16 pm

Huh, I’ve tried to find that quote. Does it exist?

Dude • on Mar 22, 2013 5:21 pm

I always forget that people with some knowledge are dumber than people with none.

kplan • on Mar 25, 2013 11:13 am

@Dude – Beautifully stated.

The comment by “marvel/disneyshouldbeanillegalmonopoly” is painful to read. Hey! Go back to comicbookmovie.com where ya came from. All opinions are welcome here but thoughtful, educated ones are preferred.

valeri • on Mar 22, 2013 5:34 pm

”old man”, oyu do realize that anything before Iron Man has not been a Marvel production right ? Well now you know. Spidey 2 is not a marvel movie,just a marvel comic character,that was columbia pictures who has that movie,same for ghost rider 1/2, etc Do some research next time. Avengers was fun,and yet managed to balance all characters with screen time,and also balance it off with action,humor,dialogue and overall a tough act to follow for an ensemble film,and they stayed true to the origin of the characters,also not what many films ever do.

Because essentially when you hear the name of Captain America nowadays, you instantly think that he’s the Robert Redford of super heroes.

~

Coat

Classic Liberal • on Mar 22, 2013 6:04 pm

Awesome! This movie could turn out to be, perhaps, and I say this with ten fingers crossed, even better than ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN.

Brian G. • on Mar 22, 2013 8:12 pm

Think Michael Caine in the Dark Knight trilogy. Redford will be introduced to a whole new audience, and many parents and grandparents would want to see this movie with the family because of him. This should happen.

Shirley Ellis • on Mar 22, 2013 8:50 pm

Redford is magic! He doesn’t need to explain
his reasons/motives as to why he’s choosing
this movie or any other.He’s more than paid his
dues and how lucky for us that he continues to
work!

Isa • on Mar 22, 2013 9:42 pm

Redford was among a slew of actors originally slated to play Superman in the 1978 movie before they found the real Superman. Bob as supe?…all five foot seven of him?

Dan • on Mar 22, 2013 11:46 pm

He’s the Sundance Kid. Nuff said. I think it would be awesome.

John Dake • on Mar 23, 2013 6:38 am

RE: REDFORD @ MARVEL:

Hummmm…. Flashback: 1941… Dark the hair a bit… give him a cigar… an eye-patch at a WWI Red Cross Med unit after taking a piece of frag… a Sargent’s rank… name him “Fury” – wouldn’t that be cool AND twisted?

Set up a whole new load of pre-release PR chatter/controversy with “New” Nick (JACKSON) vs “Classic” Nick (REDFORD) that would carry a nice subplot through the “S.H.I.E.L.D.” series and at least “Avengers 3”. “New” Nick trick’s the Steve to up his game when Coulson dies in “Avengers” … “Coulson Lives!” … Steve is conflicted by “New” Nick having manipulated him, even if it was for a good reason – but what if it hadn’t been … comparing actions of the current world – as rep’d by the “New” Nick to the “Classic” Nick and the way he sees people close to him in WWII… somewhere in the fourth act, current events play over past events in tandem… Steve accepts “New” Nick at crucial moment – much to the displeasure of the current bad guy, to turn the tide and bring the “gang all together again to save Earth!”

#30#

Okay, all you actor’s line up and let’s negotiate the next series of contracts…we still have to get “The Fantastic Four” reboot on the same page as the rest of the Marvel Universe.

valmurph • on Mar 23, 2013 7:45 am

A great actor whose done some great things for film, but he’s a notoriously difficult talent to manage. There is a long list of movies he has either walked away from or – worse – taken over the production and egotistically changed the story because his character was not “noble” enough or not sufficiently the centre of the action.

Feige and co. are similarly control freaks. Id say there’s less than a 50% chance this actually comes off.

Redford needs this, big-time. His last hit was 400 years ago. And Marvel gets headlines for casting him. Smart move for both. As long as his part is well written.

Winomaster • on Mar 23, 2013 7:44 pm

This is a old familiar movie strategy. Remember Marlon Brando who got a wheelbarrow of money for one or two days of work on Superman. The actor was cashing in on his reputation after “The Godfather.” The money for Redford will be huge and the role small. How could he turn it down. When he still had a reputation at stake, he did turn dowm the role of Clark Kent in the first Superman movie. Now he’s at the end of his acting career and the risk/reward calculation looks more favorable.

PaulaWB • on Mar 23, 2013 10:37 pm

A SHIELD Senior member? ANTMAN has been talked about before as an addition to the Avengers. Could it be Redford will play the SHIELD founding member?